Web Development

If you’re an absolute newbie to web development, this is the first course you should take. Designed specifically for people in your position, Build Your First Website in 1 Week is a 4-hour journey through the basics of HTML and CSS.

It’s not a comprehensive course by any means, but it’s a strong start to learning the fundamentals. Knowing HTML and CSS, even in a basic capacity, is half of the battle in web development, so you really shouldn’t skip this one.

By the end, you’ll have a functional website and enough knowledge to do things like edit WordPress themes.

Here’s another great resource for learning the basics of HTML and CSS. It assumes that you have no previous experience with web development and provides a 4-hour walkthrough of various fundamentals.

I recommend taking this course after the one mentioned above because Learn HTML & CSS works better as a refresher course for solidifying previously learned concepts. You’ll end with 3 websites, each made from scratch and building on the previous website’s lessons.

Once you have a comfortable grip on HTML and CSS, you’ll want to start learning a few frontend frameworks that ease the process of starting a website from scratch. Several frameworks exist, but the most popular one by far is Bootstrap.

This 14-hour Learn Bootstrap Development course takes you through 10 different website projects — including photo gallery, blog, ecommerce template, and even a mock-up social network — to show you how to leverage the power of Bootstrap for rapid website creation.

The price is a bit prohibitive for hobbyists, but if you’re serious about career in web development, this course will pay for itself in no time.

If you’re absolutely certain that you want to be a web developer but you aren’t sure what path to take in terms of learning the numerous technologies available, then there’s no better course for you than The Complete Web Developer Course.

At 29 hours long, no other course offers you this much content, and it’s available for as little as $199, which is an incredible value.

It starts with basic HTML and CSS, then progresses to more advanced frontend topics like JavaScript, jQuery, and Bootstrap. Afterwards, it teaches backend components like PHP, MySQL, and API interaction, all of which are necessary for data-driven websites.

All told, you’ll walk away with 14 complete websites and a huge boost in confidence.

Mobile Development

Android Development for Newbies is aptly titled. Anyone who has wanted to dive into Android development but found it too overwhelming will benefit greatly from this course. Absolute beginners are all welcome here, though a basic understanding of Java will help a lot.

This free course, which offers a little less than 9 hours of awesome content, will teach you what’s necessary to create your own Android apps and how to distribute them on the Play Store. Topics covered include event handling, interface design, notifications, and more.

Udemy has a lot of courses, both free and paid, that cover iOS app development. Some are outdated, some are too expensive for the value, and some just aren’t that great. The Complete iOS 8 and Swift Course, on the other hand, blows all other courses out of the water.

As it promises, this course will teach you to Make a Unity 2D Physics Game. At 1-hour long, it’s relatively short compared to the other courses on this list, but it’s a great resource for getting acquainted with the 2D side of Unity and its physics engine.

By the end, you’ll have a working demo that can be extended into an actual game with a bit of effort and love.

For a comprehensive introduction to the Unity engine, you’ll want to take this Complete Unity 5 Developer course, which is up-to-date with the latest version of Unity. It’s pricey but worth it for the 45 hours of content within.

It’s meant for people who have no experience at all. Throughout, you’ll learn the basics of C#, how it integrates with Unity, how to create game entities that interact, and how to leverage Unity’s UI system.

The course results in 7 different games that can be played on the web or on mobile devices, the final project being a sufficient Plants vs. Zombies clone.

The iOS game market is huge right now, and the right game released at the right time can pull in a boatload of revenue. Want to get in on that? Then enroll in The Complete iOS Game Course.

This 31-hour course provides step-by-step instructions on learning how to build a game using Objective C and SpriteKit. Previous programming experience isn’t necessary but can help ease the learning curve.

Seriously, this course is comprehensive. It covers gameplay implementation, of course, but also goes in depth with not-as-interesting but just-as-important aspects like menu creation, level selection, scene transitions, asset management, physics, and more.

Final Bits of Advice

As a newbie programmer, you’re going to feel overwhelmed. If you aren’t already, you’ll feel it soon — and once you get over that initial trepidation, keep alert because it’s going to return. Programming is hard, so don’t expect it to be easy or quick.